Paul Woods — Los Angeles, USA

What mistakes or traps should young designers try to avoid when creating an illustration? “Worrying about finding their ‘style’ too early on. Finding your style is a messy process and involves a lot of experimentation. Explore different techniques, make mistakes and don’t get stuck in a trend too early on. Don’t try to be perfect. Oftentimes, exaggerating a technical flaw is what makes a piece of illustration or a style most interesting.”

Paul Woods is an award-winning designer, writer and illustrator based in Los Angeles. He leads Edenspiekermann’s creative and technology teams as CCO, building products, brands and service-design work for clients in industries as diverse as editorial, sustainability and transportation. His bylines regularly appear in publications such as Fast Company and AdWeek. His first book, Doing Great Work Without Being An Asshole, will be released in 2019.